Standoff over sanctuary law

Supervisor David Campos and Mayor Gavin Newsom remained at odds Thursday over implementation of a new city law that prohibits the city's juvenile probation authorities to turn young people suspected of being in the country illegally over to federal immigration authorities until they have been found to have committed a felony -- not upon arrest as has been the city policy.

Campos, who authored the law that went into effect last month, held a status hearing at City Hall Thursday.

Using his executive powers, Newsom directed juvenile probation officers to ignore the board's new policy, arguing that it circumvents U.S. law and would put city employees at risk of federal prosecution. Campos and immigrant rights activists disagree with Newsom's legal interpretation and say the city should move forward with the new policy until and if a court rules otherwise.

Campos, eager to put a human face on the issue, welcomed the testimony of Charles Washington, a Muni bus driver whose Australian wife and two stepsons who faced deportation on Friday after one of the boys got into a schoolyard fight and local authorities reported him to immigration. Their visas expired in May.


The family won a last-minute reprieve from U.S. immigration officials who gave them 60 days to resolve their situation. While Washington said he welcomed the delay, the city policy ''created unnecessary stress, unnecessary hardship and unnecessary lack of ability to be a family.''

In a written statement, Newsom said the Washington case shows that the policy is not draconian. ''In this case, once President Obama's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office became aware of the exceptional circumstances around the case, they took commendable action to ensure that the young boy and his family were given time to resolve their residency status.''

Posted By: Rachel Gordon (Email) | March 04 2010 at 05:30 PM

Listed Under: Board of Supervisors



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